One prior urine collection device, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,066, utilizes a cannula located at the bottom of the specimen cup with the beveled distal end pointing upwards. The cup has a slot near the bottom through which the urine may pass into the proximal end of the cannula. An evacuated tube is inverted and is pushed down over the cannula so that the cannula extends through an end plug and into the evacuated tube. In this position the end plug rests against a shoulder located above the level of the urine in the cup. The pressure differential between the outside air and the evacuated tube forces the urine to fill the tube.
Another urine collector, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,490, utilizes a hollow body in conjunction with a specimen container, such as a centrifuge tube, and an excess urine outlet. The excess urine outlet is effectively sized and selectively spaced from the specimen container to assure sufficient flow into the specimen container while enabling the remainder to be drained away.
Although these apparatus effectively permit urine to be collected for testing, there is the possibility of contamination of the testing personnel or of the specimen tube. In the first apparatus, this can occur when the urine is poured into the specimen cup, thereby contaminating the shoulders against which the end plug rests. In the second apparatus, the centrifuge tube is an open container and therefore is subject to accidental spilling of the contents.
It is desirable to provide a urine collection device which minimizes the possibility of contamination of either the testing personnel or of the evacuated container. This is particularly important when many tests over a period of time are to be performed by testing personnel or where the testing is to be performed by the patient himself.